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Classic match: 'Puffing' Man United ace angers Kopites

There will be no love lost when David Moyes visits Anfield for the first time as Man United manager, which you can hear live on talkSPORT.

Having spent 10 years as Everton boss, the Scot can expect a hostile reception from the Liverpool faithful when two of football's fiercest rivals square up on Sunday.

Ahead of the heated clash, talkSPORT looks at a classic match between the two sides when 10-man United clawed back two in a six-goal thriller at Anfield in the old First Division...

The match:
Liverpool 3-3 Man United: 04/04/88

The scene
In 1988 Liverpool were head and shoulders above their challengers, with an awesome team packed with attacking verve. United, meanwhile, were enjoying their best season to date under the management of Alex Ferguson, who had arrived at Old Trafford a year-and-a-half previously. The Reds welcomed the enemy to Anfield in April of that year with United trailing them in second by 11 points, despite the Red Devils having played two games more.

The story
United's flame-haired midfielder, Gordon Strachan entertained the away fans by puffing on an imaginary cigar in front of the Anfield crowd, after rescuing a seemingly lost cause by scoring the goal that drew Man United level at 3-3 - a theme that became the norm under Fergie. Strachan seemed to revel in enraging Kopites, who had watched their team dominate for a large part of the game, only to throw away three points. Liverpool's British record signing Peter Beardsley showed his class and was influential in helping the Reds out-play United, as was brilliant winger John Barnes, who engineered Liverpool's comeback from from 1-0 down to 2-1 up inside four minutes. Midfield enforcer Steve McMahon's rocket looked to have settled things in the home side's favour, especially after United's Colin Gibson was sent off. However, the Red Devils captain Bryan Robson - who had scored their first - clawed one back, before Strachan cooly made it 3-3.

The undoubted star of the show, though, was manager Kenny Dalglish's new born baby, Lauren. Cradling his daughter in a post-match interview, Dalglish, after learning about Fergie's rant about decisions against his team, said: “You'll get more sense out of my baby than him.”

What happened next?
United finished the season in second, nine points adrift of their bitter enemies, who claimed their 17th title at a canter.

Also in April 1988...
Cult TV soap Crossroads aired for the last time on ITV (until being revived in 2001, only to be axed again in 2003).
Pet Shop Boys' 'Heart' was no.1 in the single charts.
Now That's What I Call Music 11 topped the album charts, featuring songs from Billy Ocean, Belinda Carlisle and Bananarama.
Broadcast News, starring Holly Hunter and Jack Nicholson, was the month's big cinema release.